Black Dog
by Neeko96
Summary: "Revenge isn't always the answer, and it may not happen the way you think it will. Sometimes things go wrong and it's nobody's fault. Ghosts and Humans always seem to misunderstand each other when they shouldn't. This is a problem." My take on Cujo's story. (Contains only mild cursing. 1 or 2)


**So this is a little something that came to mind after I rewatched "Shades of Grey". I really think the title wasn't just talking about Valerie, but Cujo as well. Right and wrong have many shades of grey and those change depending on your perspective. This is going to serve as how I view Cujo's back story, and how I think Valerie would react to hearing it.=^-^=**

 **Black Dog**

 **A Oneshot by Neeko96**

* * *

It was becoming a problem. Valerie just wouldn't let an old grudge die even if the subject of said grudge was already dead. Valerie Grey was once an A-list girl in Casper High's social ladder. Her father was a security specialist who made some of the most advanced security systems in the country. This being said, he made a more than fair amount of money doing what he did. It was an unfortunate incident which caused them fall down the social rungs as it were. This unfortunate twist just happened to involve a certain dog which Danny was now looking for.

Cujo, the name Danny had given the dog at their first meeting, was one of the few ghosts that would come out of the zone without some malicious motive. He was a playful dog even in situations that he really shouldn't be. Every once in a while he'll dig his way out of the zone to track down his favorite halfa to play. Sometimes, however, he's more persistent and will come back only a day or so after being put back in the zone. Danny didn't always mind having to do this, but if he was being honest, it did get tedious. This week alone the ghost dog had come out of the zone four times not including now.

Danny flew over the suburbs trying to spy the playful pup as quickly as possible. He'd been looking for almost an hour already, and wasn't liking his odds at safety by this point. If it took him too long to find Cujo, then Valerie might find him first. He didn't want that to happen period. Valerie may not have been the only ghost hunter in town, but aside from Danny himself, she was the most competent. If she found Cujo first, he didn't even want to think of what the girl would do to him. He was just approaching the park for the second time in his search when he hear the roar of the huntress' jet sled. "Oh no…" He groaned in worry as he flew lower.

The trees of the silent park were lush with green, and proved to obscure his vision of the area quite well. He was luck though that the dark of nightfall helped spread the luminous glow commonly enveloping ghosts. The green glow of Cujo caught his attention fairly quickly near the fountain at the park's center. The dog was in his monstrous form which was good and bad news. Good because it helped Danny find him. Bad because it meant he was agitated. That's when he noticed the poor dog's hind leg was pinned to a tree. He yanked at it angrily as he barked at his aggressor. The Red Huntress, the common name given to Valerie while she was adorned in her hunting gear, had him right where she wanted him with several blasters at the ready. "It's finally time to say good bye you stupid ghost mutt!" Her blasters fired up with a harsh whine and blasted a wave of energy right for the specter.

Danny's only recourse was to try and put up a shield in time, but whether he could do so effectively in that short span of time was up for debate. About a minute later and Danny was indeed standing between the huntress and her prey holding a strained shield in place. Valerie growled at the halfa with an icy glare. "You again? Stay out of my way Phantom!" She then held up her mounted blaster. "I'm not warning you again! That mutt is mine!" Danny took a moment to catch his breath from the large energy expense the shield took. "Fine! I'll just take care of you first!"

She fired, but Danny reformed to shield to block it. "This has to stop Valerie!"

"It'll stop when that mutt is a pile of green goo on the ground!" She shot back as she charged to fire again.

Danny quickly focused his eyes and shot out an ice blast to coat her weapon. The huntress was caught off guard by the strange attack long enough for Danny to close the distance on the jet sled. He tackled her from the top and both of them tumbled along the ground. Danny was able to get back his footing first to see the board already acting to get back to its rider. Another blast of ice and it fell to the ground like a rock. In his divided attention he didn't quite notice Valerie begin her attack until he felt it dead center in his back. He fell forwards and landed on his hands shakily. He let out a pained groan as he pushed himself up, but the whine of another blast brought his eyes wide. He turned his head only slightly to see the look of vengeful pleasure that adorned her face.

Just as the shot was about to go off a loud and ferocious bark rang through the night, and Cujo shook the ground with a leap. He'd torn away from the tree and raised a large paw to swipe at Valerie. The huntress was thrown several yard and slammed against a tree before falling back to the ground. Cujo's fury wasn't about to end there though as he approached her with his fangs bared. He released a sinister growl as he leaned down to her. Valerie was visibly shaking as she struggled to get her blaster unjammed. It could have been fear or frustration that caused it, but Danny wasn't about to find out. "Cujo no!" He commanded as the dog's growls ceased. His glare at the girl remained. "Cujo down! Do not hurt her!" Danny commanded again and the dog finally turned to him with a pout. "Come on boy! Over here!" The halfa called more playfully. Cujo didn't waste a second as he hopped over to Danny and shrank mind jump. He landed in the teen's arms to lick him with delight.

Valerie didn't waste the moment Phantom had given her as she pulled back the gun's blaster chamber to unjam the blaster. Danny didn't give her the chance she thought he did, however, as he blasted the barrel with ice. He quickly froze her to the tree strategically while making sure not to do any serious harm. Her suit should have protected her from any physical trauma, but he still wanted to be careful. "Damn you Phantom!" She cursed at her helpless state. "Why do you keep getting in my way!? You claim to stop evil ghosts, but you won't even let me get this dog!"

Danny shot her an exasperated glare. "I can't believe you actually bothered listening. Do you even believe that?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Of course not!" She barked back. "And with this it's obvious!" She glared daggers at the two ghosts.

Danny pat Cujo's head as he approached the bound hunter. "I figured as much, but at least I know one thing now. You actually listen to what I say when you have to."

"I listen to what I need. I don't have to bother with anything else!"

"Yes you do!" Danny growled back in what could probably be the most angry expression she'd seen on him. "You can't just shoot first and ask questions never! Ghosts are not just a bunch of mindless monsters!"

Valerie's response was delayed by the agitated tone of her captor. She couldn't help feeling intimidated by his words. "I'll give you the mindless one. You're obviously not mindless Phantom, but ghosts are monsters! They do nothing but destroy things and ruin people's lives!" She accused as she eyed the dog in particular. "My life!"

It took the halfa a minute to remember back to his first encounter with the ghost dog and he realized where she was coming from. He let out a breath and took a few steps closer so they were only a few feet apart. "Alright then Valerie, you have two choices. One, I leave you here until the ice melts or someone finds you. I won't let you hurt Cujo, and we'll just keep fighting about this which could lead us right back to here." He explained with an annoyed tone. "Or," He began as he sat down with his legs crossed. "We can talk about this. I don't want to hurt you Valerie. I don't want to hurt anyone, but you're not making it easy for me."

"As if you make it easy for me!? If you didn't want to hurt anyone Phantom you really messed up! What good is talking now!?"

Danny raised his hands to stop her shouting. "For one, it's better than attacking each other. I know hitting that tree hurt, and your blaster didn't exactly tickle. Let's just try and talk this out peaceably... please?"

Valerie's pride was a little shot knowing the ghost kid was right. None of her fights with Phantom have turned out in her favor recently, and her armor wasn't foolproof. She grit her teeth and looked at the ghost's pleading expression. Something about it reminded her of someone she knew, but that wasn't really what bothered her. What really got her was how sincere they looked. With a breath of surrender she accepted the terms. "Fine, what did you want me to hear that could so easily change my mind?" Her tone showed obvious disbelief. She knew that dog, and knew what it did to her.

Danny smiled at the compromise and set Cujo in his lap while holding him steady. "Alright then I guess we should first talk about this dog here."

"Not much to say Phantom, your mutt ruined my life." She accused with a calm yet angry tone.

Danny raised a defensive hand. "I remember Valerie, I was there."

"Yeah, and you helped." She added in with a sharp glare.

Danny frowned at the accusation. "I told you before, that wasn't on purpose. I was trying to stop him. He's also, not my dog. I just gave him that name cause I didn't know his real one."

Valerie rolled her eyes at the explanation. "Right, you tried to stop the dog and ended up destroying my life by accident. Now I feel so much better. That doesn't change anything that dog did!"

"Layoff him would you! He doesn't deserve you trying to destroy him whenever he comes to town. He just wants to play."

"What kind of bull-" She tried to shout in return before Danny cut her off.

"Shut up!" He shouted with an intensely angry gaze. "Just shut up! I really didn't want to have to say this, but I don't know what else to do!" He raved before letting out a calming breath. "Look Valerie, if anyone had a right to revenge it was Cujo."

Valerie's anger was now mixed with confusion as she sputtered out a response. "Revenge for what!? I only started hunting him after he ruined my life! If he'd just stayed out of this world I wouldn't have to chase him around!"

Danny held up the happy pup so Cujo could lick his face. "It wasn't on you, and I doubt it was even intentional, but Cujo's life was ruined first. Why do you think he's a ghost?"

The huntress was truly taken aback by that statement as she searched for what Phantom meant. She'd never seen that dog before it ruined her life. How could she possibly deserve what it did to her? "But I-"

"Like I said, it wasn't **you**. It was your dad." Danny corrected with a pointed look.

"I can't believe… why are you bringing my dad into this!?" She demanded in outrage.

"Because if Cujo was out to hurt your family, it would be him he'd go after." Danny explained with a calm and solid tone. "You don't understand Valerie, ghosts have feelings, they can be hurt. They can also remember. If Cujo had been like any other revenge seeking Black Dog, you and I may not be having this conversation now."

Valerie's eyes widened at the implications of the statement. "B-but he… he…" She trailed off with a flash of terror on her features. Could Phantom really be telling the truth? This dog wasn't actually trying to hurt or kill anyone? Then if he'd actually tried….. She shook it out her head. It was too horrible to think about.

"Look Valerie, I'm not trying to cast blame on anyone, but everything has a side. You need to understand Cujo's half of the story." He explained as he held the dog out closer to her. Cujo pant happily at her despite their earlier fight. "I know one thing for sure about Cujo's intentions back when this all started. He wanted his squeaky toy. He didn't know where it was, but for some reason he followed your family thinking that would help him find it."

The teen's jaw dropped in disbelief. This dog caused all of that over a stupid toy!? "Tell me you're joking Phantom cause this isn't funny!"

Danny's expression grew solemn. "No… it's not funny. It's actually really sad. Neither of you intended to hurt each other, but that's how things came out in the end." Cujo looked back at his master's sad face, and his ears drooped to match. He let out a soft whine as he squirmed to go and comfort the halfa. "Please take a look at his tags Valerie. Tell me you don't recognize that symbol."

Valerie leaned her head forwards as much as she could while still pinned to the tree. Her eyes sat in a squint for a moment before a realization came over her. "Axiom Labs? Why would he be wearing a tag like that? They haven't had dogs there since-" She cut herself off as she realized the implications.

Danny could see it on her face and pulled the dog back to his lap. "They haven't had guard dogs since your dad upgraded their security system. Exactly. Your dad cost Cujo his job, what he was trained to do, and his life." He then looked down at the dog with a sad expression. "You should know that guard dogs like this seldom get a happy ending when they're no longer needed. They're trained for keeping a given place safe, and even to attack an intruder if need be." He scratched Cujo's head with a small yet sad smile. "And Cujo here, well it shouldn't be hard to tell, but he's a Rottweiler. Not the most popular prospective pet with the way he's been trained." He then looked to her with his sad eyes. "What do you think the Lab did with those dogs once your dad's security system made them unnecessary? Most any business wouldn't shell out the money to find them all loving homes, and dogs can't remain in a shelter forever. I hope I don't have to explain anymore about what I mean." He finished as he took a deep breath.

Valerie was shocked… or maybe confused. She didn't really know how she felt at the information. She took a look at the dog that was trying so desperately to comfort the saddened Phantom. He whined and rubbed his nose on the halfa's chin affectionately. "So y-you're saying.. you're saying my father killed him?!" She seemed more than confused and angry.

"Indirectly, but yes. At the end of the day, your dad's security upgrade is the reason Cujo is like this now." Danny confirmed with a sympathetic tone.

"But- but my dad would have never- He… He didn't do anything to that dog! He wouldn't have hurt any of those dogs on purpose."

"It was an accident right? Something he didn't intend but happened anyway? He may have never even given the dogs a second thought, but that's not really his fault either. He was just doing his job. Just like Cujo wasn't out to hurt you. He just wanted his toy back. I found it in one of the old kennels at the lab." The huntress seemed at a loss for words. All the fire in her from minutes ago was gone and cold. If any of this was true, as she suspected it was, she was only making things worse for herself. How many other ghosts had she attacked that weren't trying to hurt anyone? Sure they were ghosts but… if they were like this dog…. Like Phantom…. Who's really the monster here? Danny saw the understanding in her eyes and stood. "So that's all I had to say about Cujo. What else should we talk about?" He asked with a soft smile on his face. "Unless you don't want to talk anymore?"

Valerie looked up at him and shook her head. "I…. I understand. I won't come after him anymore." She revealed with a lamenting tone. This dog's life was already taken from him, she didn't have the right to take the afterlife he had left.

"If you really mean that then I'll get you out of that." Danny leaned down and phased her through the ice. She pulled herself to her feet and dusted herself off. "I really wish we could understand each other more. Humans and ghosts… we're not that different. Even a ghost dog is still just a dog." Phantom stated as he held Cujo in his arms.

Valerie turned to the dog with a friendly gaze. It felt a bit strange, but it made her feel better somehow. She pressed a switch on her suit to take down her helmet before reaching out to the dog. "Can I… Pet him?"

"Sure." Phantom offered. "He loves it when you scratch under his chin." Cujo ate up the small gesture with a pant.

The huntress now wore an expression of soft adoration as she pulled her hand away. "He really is just a dog…"

Cujo's eyes suddenly snapped back open and he leaped from Danny's arms. "No Cujo!" But it was too late. Not even Valerie's reflexes could prepare her for the dog's lung at such a close distance.

She fell back to the grass with the little dog climbing over her in excitement. Any expression of surprise melted to amused laughter as the ghost proceeded to lick her face despite her attempts to push him away. "Get off Cujo!" She commanded playfully as she wiped at the slobber on her face. Even if she wasn't much of a dog person she couldn't help herself. This dog who had every right to hate her and her family, was licking her with affection.

"Oh geez Valerie. I'm so sorry about him." Danny apologized with an amused grin as he leaned down to take Cujo from her. "Come on boy, let's not drown her in slobber." He took to pup back into his arms as Valerie turned over to get back up.

"He may not be an evil monster, but definitely a slobber monster." She declared with a laugh in her tone.

"Now that I can agree with." Phantom concurred as he reached a hand to help her up. He then let out one last breath as his expression became slightly more serious. "So… perhaps now we can have a… truce? We could work together instead of against each other?"

The huntress's smile faded as she placed a hand on her hip. "Look Phantom, I'm not about your friend or your sidekick." She declared with a stern tone that surprised the halfa a bit. "But.." She began with a softer tone. "I don't see why we can't work together if we're after the same ghost."

Danny wore a smirk and nodded. "I can live with that." He then looked down to Cujo. "I better get him back to the zone now. It's getting pretty late." He floated up and waved.

"I'll listen Phantom!" She called back which made Danny a bit confused. "If you want to talk again, I'll listen!" The Valerie the shot first without question was not someone she wanted to be anymore. She thought over her conversation with phantom and swore it to herself.

* * *

 **So there we go. This isn't some sort of DannyXValerie ship fic. There was no romance intended. (I ship SxD sorry) This story was just meant to be a sort of heart to heart between the two characters over the tragic existence of another ghost. I wanted to work more with Valerie since I barely do anything with her, and her issues with Cujo were an excellent place to start. This is how I interpret the insinuations and hints from the show.=^-^=**


End file.
